Shades Of Styles

Not My Harry 3

"Mommy!" Sadie's voice pulls me from my memory, my all too distant memory and I look away from the window, waiting for Harry to leave for work so I can begin my final attempt at leaving him. Since my mother convinced me to try getting a lawyer, I actually did. I have signed the restraining order and the divorce papers, the detective were working with told me to wait until I can leave so he can hurt me. It's been a long month, I'm just ready for it to end. I look to my daughter and worry falls over me as I wonder if she'll hate me for taking her from her father. But it's price I'll have to pay for wanting her to have a better life.

"Mommy, look. I drawed you!" She shouts as she shows me the picture she made of just me with a perfect crooked smile.

"It's beautiful baby. Thank you." I smile at her and press my lips to her forehead. If only she knew the pain behind it.

"Alright Sadie! I'm leaving for work, can you give daddy a kiss?" He asks as he comes in. Sadie jumps into his arms and they share a moment that could only be seen as beautiful through the eyes of someone unaware of my situation.

"Bye daddy. I'll see you when you get home." She tells him but she won't. Hopefully she'll never see him again.

"Bye, love." He breathes and caresses my chin. I practically cringe at the act but I need him to believe that I still love him, for now.

"Bye." I fake a smile and kiss his lips. I watch him leave and wait for his car to disappear down the road. Then I grab my phone and call my mother who is waiting for me, to take Sadie and I somewhere far away.
After I hang up, I begin packing enough stuff for us until I can get someone to get the rest of it. Clothes, bathroom necessities, Sadie's favorite toys are first and then anything I can fit in bags. A knock on the door makes me jump but I sigh in relief when my mother walks in.

"How much do you have packed?" She asks, nervousness in her voice and I feel the same away.

"Almost everything that we need." I answer. "What do we tell Sadie?"

"Just tell her we're going on a vacation, when the time is right, you can tell her about her father." She informs me and I nod as tears threaten to break the surface. She notices and hugs me tightly.

"Thank you mom." I cry and she nods.

"Everything is going to be okay." She assures me as she pulls away.

"I'm going to get Sadie." I explain and go to her room.
"Sadie?" I say to her her attention and she looks up from her dolls. "You wanna go somewhere with me and grandma?" I ask.

"Where?" She questions.

"Anywhere." I smile, trying to make it seem happy. She just nods and stands from her dolls. I hear a gasp and I stand up.

"Mom?" I yell. "Stay her Sadie." I order and go into the hallway. My heart drops at the sight. Harry has my mother in a choke hold, a knife in the other hand and a death glare that makes me believe it was given the rightful name.

"What are you doing (Y/N)? Are you leaving me?" He asks, his tone not matching his face.

"Harry, I-" I try to say but he interrupts me.

"You are!" His voice is now higher. "I thought you figured out, you can't leave me. You'll come back, you always do." He says with a sinister laugh. I need to think of something before he kills my mom. Anything to calm him down.

"You know that I love you Harry." I sigh. "You don't have to do this."

"Yeah and you don't have to leave me." He shouts.

"No one is leaving you." I lie.

"The packed things at the door then? What are those?"

"Nothing, I-"

"You're lying! I told you what would happen if you left again." I watch as the knife gets closer to my mother and I cry out.

"Take me!" I shout. "Don't hurt her, hurt me!" It all makes sense now, if I want Sadie to have a better life, away from him, I'll have to sacrifice myself. At least I know my mother will take good care of her.

"No." My mother cries as he releases her and grabs my arm, pulling me to him.

"Scream and you'll die." He spits in my ear. He pulls me away from the hallway and into Sadie's room and my heart drops.

"Don't hurt her." I whisper in an inaudible voice. He puts the knife away and wraps an arm around my waist.

"Sadie." Harry coos to our daughter and she turns, a smile spreading across her face.

"Is daddy coming with us?" She asks, taking her place on the other side of Harry and I gulp.

"We're gunna go somewhere Sade. Just the three of us." He informs her, in a breathless tone.

"Harry please." I cry as we make our way down to his car but we're stopped by police standing outside with my mother and I sigh in relief. I didn't notice he pulled the knife out again until the blade was in my side.

"Sadie come here!" My mother calls and Sadie runs to her without hesitation.

"Let me go or I'll stab her!" Harry calls, bringing the knife higher up, to chest as he wraps an arm around my waste.

"Please." I cry, tears streaming down my face at this point.

"Daddy. What are you doing?" Sadie asks and my heart goes out to her.

"Sir. Put the knife down." One cop says and I suck in a breath as I feel the knife make its way to my side as his grip around me gets tighter. "If you don't, we'll be forced to shoot you."

"Do it, that'll only cause me to hurt her!" The knife presses harder and I cry out more.

"Daddy don't hurt Mommy!" Sadie cries out and I can hear how scared she is. And then everything happens in slow motion, I hear a gun shot then I feel a sharp pain in my stomach and I fall to the ground. They shot me? I close my eyes in hopes that the pain will go away.
When my eyes finally open, Harry is laying on the ground next to me, his eyes focused on me as I watch blood escape him. And I realize, he was the one who shot me, at the same time he stabbed me in my stomach. My hand reaches out and touches the weapon that's protruding from my body. My eyes close once again and I wonder if it's all over.

I open my eyes again, this time in my bedroom, Harry laying next to me. I'm covered in a cold sweat and I realize it was all a dream.